Despite not having a ton of experience with CS, I find that I’m really enjoying this class. It’s very logic-based, and I’ve been learning a lot faster by doing projects. Through projects we get to work with different methods and tools in Java, Html, and CSS while also practicing logic which can be very satisfying. Our assignments include making this website, various exercises and projects in java, and later in the year making an app with a group.
Federal Tax Rate
The Federal Tax Rate problem was a really good way to familiarize myself with java arithmetic and practicing test cases. We were asked to calculate how much one’s annual federal taxes were based on their yearly income.
Line Art
The line art assignment was a good practice of visualization. I enjoy exercising the more geometrical part of my brain so imagining how the lines would have to be drawn and in what order was fun.
Apps For Good
My group and I designed and implemented our app, Drowsy Drivers, for the second half of the school year. Our motivation was that drowsy driving causes up to 21% of crashes in the U.S., posing serious risks, especially for the 3.6 million truck drivers on the road for long hours. Existing apps rely on facial detection and have major limitations like poor background functionality and limited usability. Our app offers a new approach: connecting drivers through voice calls to keep them alert and engaged. Using a matching algorithm based on user preferences, the app runs in the background, allowing GPS use. Future updates may improve matching and add safety features, making this a more accessible and effective solution to combat driver fatigue. We tested this by filling in user preferences and observing if they were put in the firebase, testing various app functionalities, as well as checking if the algorithm worked with an array of fake profiles.